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Luxemburg : small land, Grand Duchy, grand Power! |
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Between France, Belgium and Germany...
 Voir aussi : Vianden et Victor Hugo - Economie de Champagne Ardenne |
At the confluent of the Alzette and of the Pétrusse, the town Luxemburg was founded when the Romans transformed the Bouc cliff into a stronghole. The Frank took possession of it and they gave it the name "Lützel Burg" (small castle). At the Verdun treaty, after that Charlemagne's heritage was split, it became part of Lotharingie. But it's when the Count Sigefroy d'Ardenne exchanged in 963 the land around it against one of his domain that Luxemburg was really born. It became part of Namur house and, established as a Duchy in 1354, it was successively transfered to the Limbourg one, to Philippe de Bourgogne, to the Habsbourg, to the Spanish branch of the Austrian house, then to Louis XIV (1684) who, helped by Vauban, made its capital the most powerful fortress in Europe. By the Utrecht agreement (1713), it returned to the Habsbourg and, when conquered by Napoleon, it became the "département des forêts (forests county). The Vienne treaty gave it back to Germany which made it a Great-Duchy and offered it to the Dutch family of Orange-Nassau. Belgium claimed Luxembourg after it had joined its 1830 revolution, but was only given the present Province of Belgian Luxembourg by the 24 articles treaty. After the dissolution of the German Confederation, Napoleon III vainly attempted to recover it and induced the London conference (1867) where it was declared neutral. It did'nt prevent it from being invaded by the German in 1914-18, then incorporated in the Reich in 1940-44. In 1946, it founded the Benelux with Belgium and Nederland. In 1948, it renounced its neutralty in order to join the Organisation of the Brussels Treaty and NATO. In 1950, it joined the ECSC before becoming an essential member of the Common Market. The town Luxembourg is presently one of the capitals of Europe. |
| NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organisation - ECSC = European Coal and Steel Community (forefather of Europe) | |
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